How To Hear Puppy Heartbeats With Stethoscope?

Do you want to learn how to hear puppy heartbeats with stethoscope? Read on for detailed instructions and do’s and don’ts

If you are a pet lover, your heart beats for your puppy. Wouldn’t it be lovely to hear the sound of your unborn puppy’s heart beating as well? 

Rather than taking frequent trips to your veterinarian for a heart check-up, it would be a good idea to learn how to hear your puppy heartbeats with a stethoscope at home, especially if it is still in your doggo’s womb. 

You can feel it with your hand or use a stethoscope to sense the beating of the heart. You can place your hand near your pet’s elbow on the left-hand side to feel the heart pumping. Alternatively, you can wear a stethoscope to count the beats precisely. 

If your bitch is pregnant, you may want to monitor her heart rate along with her unborn puppies more closely with a stethoscope. Here, you will find out everything you want to know about how to hear a puppy’s heartbeats with a stethoscope.

What Age Can You Hear Puppies’ Heartbeat with Stethoscope?

Hearing the heartbeat of your furry friend is a fantastic feeling. You can listen to the heart pumping of your adult dog at any age. However, if you are eager to hear the heartbeats of your puppies with a stethoscope, you may have to adhere to their prescribed age. 

Varying heart rates of dogs can puzzle you. It would help if you had sufficient information to understand using a stethoscope and what age is appropriate to hear the puppy’s heartbeat. Read on to clear your doubts.

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Your Dog’s Heartbeat Varies By Breed!

Unlike humans, who have a standard heartbeat of around 72 beats per minute, it may surprise you to know that dog heart rates vary from dog to dog, depending on their size and weight. 

The heart may beat 120 to 160 times in sixty seconds if a pooch weighs less than 30 pounds. However, an average heart rate may slide down to 60 to 120 in a minute for a dog weighing more than 30 pounds.

Variation In Heart Beats

Usually, the heartbeat of your furry friend slightly slows down but bounces right back up with each breath. Such abnormal heart rhythm may worry you, but veterinary doctors will count it as usual. If you know how to use a stethoscope to check the heart rate of your pawed friend, you may get accurate results. 

How Early Can I Hear My Unborn Puppies Heartbeat?

Generally, you can hear fetal heartbeats as early as the twenty-fifth day of your bitch’s pregnancy. Apart from other signs of pregnancy, your canine’s heart will typically beat between 180 to 220 bpm indicating pregnancy.

A visit to your veterinarian will be your best choice to confirm if your bitch is in good health. They will conduct a pregnancy test, ultrasound, and physical examination to detect pregnancy.

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How Can I Listen To My Dog’s Heartbeat With A Stethoscope?

While most stethoscopes will give you the same results, you would be better equipped if you used your veterinary doctor’s recommended stethoscope. Your attempts to hear your dog’s heartbeat would require a sophisticated stethoscope with a giant bell. 

If you have a veterinary stethoscope, you would agree that listening to your dog’s heartbeat is much easier. With a bit of skill, you can hear the heart beating while using a regular stethoscope. 

Here is how you can listen to your puppy heartbeats with a stethoscope. 

• Properly wearing a stethoscope can reduce sound leakage and give you accurate results. 
• Place binaural facing forward.
• You should plug in the earpiece properly.
• You may adjust the tube for the earpiece to fit into your ear snugly.
• Place the bell near the left raised elbow of your pet to detect the heartbeat.
• Placing the bell on your dog’s chest can give you a ticking sound, which indicates its heartbeat.
• You can adjust the diaphragm to hear high-pitched heart sounds at S1 and S2. You can get the low-pitch sound of your pet’s pounding heart at S3 and S4 by adjusting the bell. S2 is softer and has a shorter sound than S1. You can hear the semilunar valves closing in S2 and atrioventricular valves closing with S1. The S1 will sound like ‘lub,’ and S2 sounds like ‘dub.’ The rhythmic rub-a-dub is the sound of the heart.
• S3 and S4 will give you a galloping sound of the heart. These sounds indicate unhealthy pets. It would be a good idea to visit your veterinarian for further diagnosis. 
• Murmuring of the heart signifies heart disease.
• In case the diaphragm is missing from your stethoscope, you can use the pressure of your fingertip to hear the heartbeat.
• You will get the best result when you apply the stethoscope in a quiet room.
• It would be a good idea to calm your pet and hold it close for optimal listening conditions.
• A stethoscope with a smaller diaphragm is the best for small-sized animals.

Can You Hear Puppy Heartbeats In The Womb?

When your bitch enters the fourth to sixth week of pregnancy, you may be lucky enough to hear the fetal heartbeat loud and clear using a stethoscope. 

Listening to its unborn puppy will make you go head over heels. Although any stethoscope would fulfill your requirements, it would be better to use specific veterinary medical tools for the best results. 

Moreover, in your attempt to hear your puppies’ heartbeats in the womb, you have to go through layers of vessels and organs of your bitch’s body. Sometimes, it can be challenging to locate the exact location of your unborn puppies’ heartbeats. 

It is easy to get confused with the sounds of respiratory organs. Thus, it can be complicated to achieve clarity of heartbeat, especially if you are not a veterinarian. 

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Answers To Common Questions About Puppy Heartbeats

How to hear a puppy’s heartbeats with a stethoscope?

You can hear a puppy’s heartbeat with a stethoscope that has a giant bell. It enables you to have clarity of sound. Wear the tube around your neck with the earpiece snugly in your ear canal. 

Place the bell on the left-hand side of your pawed friend’s raised elbow. Locating your pet’s heart can help you record the exact heart rate. A noise-resistant tube would facilitate hearing the heartbeat better. 

At what age can you hear puppies’ heartbeats with a stethoscope?

As a thumb rule, an adult dog’s heart beats slower than a young puppy’s. The heartbeat varies from dog to dog, depending on its size and weight. If a puppy weighs less than 30 pounds, her heart may beat 120 to 160 times in sixty seconds. 

However, the heart of a heavy dog weighing 30 pounds or more may be at 60 to 120 in a minute. Generally, you can hear fetal heartbeats as early as the twenty-fifth day of pregnancy.

What kind of stethoscope should you use to hear your puppy’s heartbeat in the womb?

It is advisable to use a veterinary-recommended cardiology stethoscope so you can hear your puppy’s heartbeat in the womb. The amplified diaphragm allows the faintest sound to reach your ears. 

It offers clarity of sound as it blocks the surrounding noise. If your dog is latex-sensitive, then it would be a good idea to buy a latex-free stethoscope to avoid skin irritation.

Final Words

Veterinarians recommended stethoscopes having more giant bells that amplify the heartbeat. It can pick up the faintest sounds of your unborn puppies’ heartbeat in the womb. Furthermore, latex-free long tubes are more convenient and comfortable for your pawed friend than the usual stethoscope.